Study Site Description, Figs. 1 and 2

Supplementary Material

Study Site Description, Figs. 1 and 2

At each sampling time, from 10 to 17 stream sites were sampled, including 6 - 8 sites in basins that were not burned, 3 – 6 sites in basins that were burned but where the riparian vegetation remained intact, and 1 – 3 sites in basins where both upland and riparian vegetation burned. The study streams drain the Santa Ynez Mountains in coastal Santa Barbara County, California, USA, and flow into the Pacific Ocean. This area is typified by a Mediterranean climate with wet and cool conditions from November through March and dry and warm conditions from April through October (average annual rainfall = 100 cm/y in the mountains and 45 cm/y at sea level). In general, study streams were small (dry season widthsca. 2-3 m at most sites), slightly alkaline (pHs = 7.0 – 8.5), hard (conductivities = ca. 600 – 1000 S/cm), and low in nutrients (PO4 = 0.15 – 1.25 M, NO2 + NO3 = 0.10 – 8 M). Streams had a step-pool geomorphology(mean maximum pool depths = 0.22 – 0.97 m, mean maximum riffle depths = 0.06 – 0.38 m) and substrata were normally dominated by gravel, cobble, boulders and bedrock, although sand became the dominant substratum at sites affected by fire. Water temperatures ranged from 5 – 24 °C throughout the year. Unless affected by disturbance, such as fires or development, riparian vegetation in the summer normallyforms a nearly complete canopy (> 90%), dominated by alder (Alnusrhombifolia Nutt.), California laurel (Umbellulariacalifornica Nutt.), coast live oak (Quercusagrifolia Née), willow (Salix spp. L.), and California sycamore (Platanusracemosa Nutt.), whereas upland areas are covered by chaparral. A high intensity fire (the Jesusita Fire) swept through part of the area encompassed by our stream monitoring sites in May 2009. Here, we present biological data from sites for 2 times before (Dec. 2008, March 2009) and 3 - 4 times after (June and Sept., 2009, June 2010, and, for macroinvertebrates, June 2011) the fire.

Fig. 1. Methods. Per cent cover of different algal types was determined visually using a quadrat viewer, following the US Environmental Protection Agency’s rapid bioassessment protocol for use in streams and wadeable rivers (Barbour et al. 1999). We collected per cent cover data from 3 random locations on hard substrata in each of 5 riffles and 5 pools at each site on each date (total of 15 riffle and 15 pool samples/site/date). Macroalgae were identified to genus and diatom films were classified as thin (<0.5 mm in height), medium (0.5–2.0 mm), or thick (>2.0 mm). Per cent cover by all colonial macroalgaltaxa was summed to produce Fig. 1.

Reference: Barbour, M. T., J. Gerritsen, B. D. Snyder & J. B. Stribling, 1999. Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers: Periphyton, Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish. EPA 841-B-99-002. 2nd edition. Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA.

Fig. 2. Methods. Epibenthic and water column macroinvertebrates were sampled by taking 6 standard sweeps (each ca. 1 m in length) along the stream bottom with a D net (30 cm. lower edge, 1 mm mesh) from each of 5 pools at each site on each date. Most invertebrates in samples were identified and counted in the field, but any which could not be identified were preserved in 90% ethanol and keyed under a microscope in the laboratory. Insects were categorized by traits following Poff et al. (2006) and non-insects were categorized based on information presented in Thorpe &Covich (2001). In Fig. 2, under voltinism, the multivoltine category includes both bi and multivoltinetaxa, size categories refer to size at maturity (small < 9 mm, medium = 9 – 16 mm, large > 16 mm), and the code for thermal preferences was cold = cold stenothermal or cool eurythermal, cool/warm = cool/warm eurythermal, and warm = warm eurythermal.

References:

Poff, N. L., J. D. Olden, N. K. M. Vieira, D. S. Finn, M. P. Simmons & B. C. Kondratieff, 2006. Functional trait niches of North American lotic insects: traits-based ecological applications in light of phylogenetic relationships. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 25: 730-755.

Thorpe, J. H. & A. P.Covich, 2001. Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates.Academic Press, San Diego, CA, USA.

Selected pictures plate taken in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. (1) Gallifastream (Besòs basin). 12 days after the fire, pool filled with ash after the post-fire precipitation. Brown-ocher deposits of ferric salts were observed resulting from the oxidation of ferrous iron dissolved in anoxic waters earlier and in upstream pools. (2)Valld’Horta stream (Ripoll basin). 12 days after the fire, dead fish downstream. (3) Gallifastream (Besòs basin). Foam transported by the river after the first heavy rains. (4) Gallifastream (Besòs basin). The same pool shown in Fig. 3a in summer 2007 (4 years after the fire).(Photo 2 courtesy ofProf. A. Sostoa and 3 of Fam. Sobregrau).

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